Province cuts child care despite budget surplus
Metrovalley Newspaper Group -- Surrey Leader
January 26, 2007

Letters - by Pam Mountford, North Delta

Why is this government making cuts to an already under- resourced child care sector when the province has a budget surplus?

The province is faced with labour shortages and the premier's own Progress Board highlighted the need for government to invest in child care - yet this government has chosen to cut critical funding anyway.

The B.C. Liberal government platform to "support families and children most vulnerable" is failing B.C. families. All children are vulnerable.

Premier Campbell was silent when the federal government eliminated the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) agreement.

Now, instead of keeping its promise of helping families, the government has decided to move backward to pre-Early Learning Child Care funding levels and pass on the cuts to parents, even though the province has a budget surplus which could be invested in our children and our future.

The cuts to childcare operating funding threaten centres with closure, while others are forced to raise their fees.

Telling parents they can make up the increase in fees from their $100 taxable child care benefit is ridiculous. One hundred dollars is a pittance in relation to actual child care costs.

Many parents will be in a position of having to take their children out of quality childcare and may resort to makeshift arrangements, including creating latch-key kids.

Worst case, some parents may leave the workforce because their child care costs will be such that it is not worth it to work.

Not only will parents be forced to pay higher fees for childcare, they will no longer have the support and resources provided from the Child Care Referral and Resource programs around the province.

Parents rely on these programs to find childcare and assist them with child care subsidy applications. Childcare providers access training for childcare, resource libraries and much more.

Investing in quality child care is not an option it is fundamental to our province's economic and social foundation.